Braid Waves - How To Create

Introduction

Known as "braid waves" this hairstyles is probably one
of the easiest styles to create if your tresses are long enough to
plait into a series of braids.

There are a few simple tips to
consider when making braid waves.

The ultimate design of braid waves will be directly linked
to:

A. Total number of braids interwoven throughout
the hair
B. Thickness of each individual braid created
C. Pattern of all the individual braids combined
D. Natural texture of hair (straight, wavy,
curly, kinky) as well as
overall hair health
(healthy versus damaged).
E. Type of hair (thin/fine, medium, thick, super
thick).
F. Dampness of the hair when the braids are
created.
G. Length of time braids are actually left in the
hair.
H. Type of styling products used to prep the hair
before braiding
I. Length of hair to be braided. (Medium to
long or super long
hair has the best overall
results.
J. How braid waves are styled after braids
are removed.
K. Products used to style finished waves.
L. Whether hair accessories are used to anchor
waves or not.

Advantages of Braid Waves

Braid waves have a number of great advantages:

1. They are easy to create
2. When created correctly they can instantly add waves,
enhance natural textures or even showcase curls as demonstrated by
the beautiful Adrienne Bilon (show above).
3. Braid waves minimize wear and tear on delicate strands.
Especially if the braids are not created too tightly or with rough
fingers and hands.
4. Newly created braids can be worn down in a cascade of
texture, as part of a high pony, hair twist or with a hair bump.
There are endless styles for braid waves.
5. Texture is created without hot tools such as curling irons
or hot rollers which saves wear and tear on hair.
6. Braid waves are a wonderful hairstyle for long or very long
tresses.
7. Being inventive allows you to utilize braid waves to create
a wide range of new hairstyles.
8. Hair accessories are the perfect complement for braid
waves.

Beyonce
Knowles
2009 BET Awards
Arrivals
06-28-09

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved

Step By Step Instructions

Listed below are the basic steps for creating Braid Waves:

1. Hair should be damp but not overly wet.

You can create braid waves from newly cleansed hair or from dry
hair that is prepped properly.

Remember to always carefully detangle tresses from the ends to
the roots before braiding or styling in any manner. If there
are knots or snags in your hair and you braid without detangling it
will only make the knots worse in the long run.

If you want "crunchy" waves, mix a little hair gel with the water
for a slight crunch. If you want a strong hold you can prep
each section of hair after spritzing with water with mousse, gel or
even paste. Experiment to achieve different results.

Note: Damp tresses are required to help the waves
set better. Creating braid on bone dry hair will not create
the same results. It's also true hair with natural texture
will generally have a more uniform results then stick straight
strands unless lots of styling products are applied to the damp
strands.

2. Plan Your Braid Pattern Before You Start

If you don't really care about the outcome of your waves and are
fine with random results, just grab individual chunks of hair and
start braiding.

Keep in mind the smaller the braid, the tighter the waves and the
larger the braid, the looser. Also, if you do three strand
braids you will have a looser wave pattern than if you do six or
eight strands or more.

3. Start With Your Desired Part - Or Not

It is always best to plan your wave design before you begin
braiding.

Take into consideration where or if you want a part. The
part can be center or to either side unless you prefer no part.
If you braid all the way from the tip of the root to the very end of
the hair you will have a bigger texture than if you start a few
inches from the roots with the braid.

Adrienne Bilon
"Meet The Robinson" World Premiere
03-25-08

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved

You may want to consider separating your entire head into four,
six or eight sections and creating the same sized braid pattern all
around your head. This will create uniform waves. If you
want an irregular pattern you can alternate thick and thin braids or
three strand with six or more strands for an unusual wave result.

4. Whether you start with newly washed or dry hair keep
a water spritzer handy.

You may find that as you braid from one side to the other your
hair may dry out in some sections. Make sure all of the braids
have an equal dampness. This will guarantee uniform results.
It is usually best to start at the front of the hairlines and work
around your head in a circular pattern.

Have a friend help you with the back if you are creating braid
waves for a special event and want them to have a uniform look and
flow.

5. Use a "hair friendly" hair tie to secure each braid.

Remember hair is most fragile when wet so be gentle with your
hair and you braid. It is always best to apply a light
leave-in conditioner to your fingers to help glide through your
tresses easier.

Also, if there are any snags on your fingernails or fingers be
sure to remove them before using to finger pick or braid delicate
tresses.

You may wish to use Blax bands and then simply cut them off the
ends when you undo the braids which eliminates and pulling or wear
and tear on the ends. Or you may wish to use "hair friendly"
elastic bands that can be easily removed from the ends.

AJ Michalka
Wearing Braid Style Waves

DailyCeleb.com
All rights reserved

Note: Never, ever use rubber bands in any manner on
either wet, dry or damp tresses.

6. Let braids air dry overnight or sit under a hood
dryer. After you have created the braids to your
satisfaction the longer you keep them in your hair, the deeper and
more defined the waves will be when you remove the braids.

You can either sleep on the braids overnight or sit under a hood
dryer if you want instant results. A blow dryer can work in a
pinch but the waves will not be as deeply set and may not hold as
long or consistently. By far the best method is to apply the
braids to damp hair and let the hair air-dry for at least 12 hours
or more.

If you sleep on the braids overnight you may either wish to cover
with a satin night cap or sleep on a satin pillow case to prevent
hair from frizzing or being disturbed from the braids.

Note: If hair naturally gets frizzy you may to apply
a light coating of defrisant cream to damp strands before braiding.

If you did sleep in the braids overnight and they did not dry on
their own you can finish them off in the morning with a quick blast
of a blow dryer set on low/cool speed/temperature.

7. Once braids are 100% dry remove to unveil new waves.
It's important NOT to remove the braids until hair is
completely dry. If you remove the braids too early you will
likely see wimpy results and not the deeply patterned waves which
are possible with braid waves.

If your hair is naturally curly you can play with gently twisting
some of the newly formed waves into ringlets instead of allowing
them to remain as waves. Do not use a brush or comb or else
there is danger of deconstructing the natural waves.

After you have the waves to your liking finish with another blast
of shine enhancing hairspray or finish with a swipe of
Ken Paves Healthy Hair Shine Serum. Apply one drop of the
Shine Serum to the palms of your hands, rub together and then
lightly brush over the top of your gorgeous new soft waves.

Other Braid Wave Notes

Braid waves looks fantastic with a beautiful hair flower affixed
to one side over the ear allowing the waves to softly cascade down
the back of your neck.

Headbands also work fantastically with braid waves.
Experiment with a number of hair accessories to determine which
looks best with your waves.

Summary

Braid waves are an easy, hair friendly and low
maintenance style which works well on hair that is
medium to very long in length in just about any texture
and type of hair. It gives hair a rest from brutal
hot blow dryers or hot irons and rollers and looks
amazing.

Note: If you would love to try the Ken Paves Healthy
Hair products check out his convenient
Healthy Hair Try Me Kit which includes 2 oz of the daily
shampoo, conditioner, shine serum and shaping hair spray. All
Ken Paves Healthy Hair products are available at the
HairBoutique.com Marketplace.